Communism By The Book 

 

Imagine a system where the government controls all aspects of life including the amount of food which one is entitled to.  Since 1962 Castro’s regime has utilized a food rationing system as a tool to oppress the people of Cuba. Rationing continued even as the Soviet Union sent 6 billion dollars per year to Cuba. The regime has never needed a pretext of U.S. policy to justify repression1.

The cover of a 1999 ration book from Cuba is shown above. The book is approximately 5 x 3.5 inches and contains 36 pages. The book is issued annually.

Month of June

Soap unavailable for the month of June Quotas even exist for items such as matches and salt.

Month of July

In July only 2 bars of soap for this family of 4. A rare occasion, crackers are available!

Month of August

Items such as toothpaste, soap, and toiletries  are regularly not in stock. Quotas exists for sugar and coffee in a nation where they are primary crops.

3 Month Summary

The quota of rice for this family of 4 is 2.2 kg (5 lb) per month.

Year Summary on Chicken, Fish, and Eggs

Chicken was only available on 3 occasions of the entire year. Fish unavailable  though out 1999. Eggs were the main food staple for this family of 4 in 1999.